


Maybe it's Nothing...

by MissFortune8936



Category: Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: Angst and Drama, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon - Anime, Canon - Anime Dub, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Major Original Character(s), Secret Relationship, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:34:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27792367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissFortune8936/pseuds/MissFortune8936
Summary: Fujioka Haruhi was one of three honor students who got into Ouran Academy. Asuna Kaori, Haruhi's childhood friend, managed to get in as well. In the same financial situation, these two are close. But Kaori had no idea that Haruhi was spending her time at a host club! What was supposed to be a simple visit quickly turned into something more.
Relationships: Fujioka Haruhi/Suoh Tamaki, Ootori Kyouya/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 15





	Maybe it's Nothing...

**Author's Note:**

> This is based off the anime by the way, I haven't been able to read the manga.

The sound of her classmates chattering on about some pointless matters clawed at her temples. You would think that a school like this would have students who actually knew how to behave themselves. Or at least, who knew how to be quiet. Her leg was bouncing about a mile a minute, eyes scanning over the same page she had been trying to read for the last fifteen minutes. With a sigh, she slowly closed the book, knowing that it would be easier to read it later at home, Kaori leaned over in her seat to grab her bag. Class had actually been over for a few minutes now, the end of the day upon them finally. With a sigh she stretched her arms up above her head, a small pop falling from her shoulder before she relaxed. It had been a long day, one that Kaori would love top end, ut she had something to do before she went home. Music room 3, that's where Haruhi said to meet her once Kaori was done with her notes for the day. it was an odd request honestly given they lived in the same apartment complex. Kaori could just drop it off when she got home, but whatever. This was fine, it's not like she had anything else to do today. Slipping her bag up on her shoulder, tugging at the hem of her skirt. While she couldn't afford one of the uniforms and given the look of most of these students, Kaori doubted she'd fit in one anyway. Her skirt was yellow at least, her top and sweater white and gray respectively. She stuck out like a sore thumb, but at least she looked put together. 

Avoiding the large crowds like the plague, Kaori started her search for music room three. This campus was huge, five schools all together on one campus...these damned rich people. The first week of school was a nightmare, trying to figure everything out and where to go. Three separate times when she asked where her homeroom 1-B was, some jerks decide it would be funny to send her to the wrong building. Which was...hard to explain to her teachers when she finally found the right room. Especially seeing the pressure she was under to remain at the top of her class. Haruhi never seemed to complain about that pressure, so it made perfect sense that she would have some sort of after school activity. "Music room three, north hall," Kaori mumbled to herself, turning a corner. Her dark eyes shifting upward to read the signs as she walked, Kaori was still confused about what Haruhi could be doing. She didn't have any musical talent and listening to her attempt any kind of musical skill was absolutely awful. It was entertaining to watch her embarrass herself, but Kaori could only stand a song or two before wanting to rip her ears off. So Kaori felt bad for the poor suckers who had to listen to her. Anyway, Kaori probably shouldn't judge her too much, she hadn't joined any after school activities and here Haruhi was balancing school and her father to do whatever it was she was doing after school. Despite being lost in her thoughts, a sign finally caught her attention. "Music room three, here we go." Reaching out, a notebook clutched in her arm, her free hand closed around the door handle. Kaori pushed it open, a gust of wind and flower petals rushing through the door.

"Welcome~" A chorus of voices hit her ears as she stepped inside, brows furrowed as she was greeted by the most desired students in Ouran. 

"Oh hey, it's another commoner!" Two red-headed boys spoke in perfect unison. The Hitachin twins, Hikarou and Karou. Kaori had only spoken to either one of them once or twice in passing. Not exactly the most riveting conversations and Kaori had an odd feeling about both of them. Especially given some of the things she's heard about them.

"Geez guys, way to make her feel welcome," A brown-headed boy scolded...or girl actually, it was Haruhi. A face Kaori knew well, and a sight that gave her comfort. She stood up, giving Kaori a gentle smile as she took a few steps toward her. "I'm glad you showed up, I-"

"What's this Haruhi? Has a princess come to request you before our club even starts? My, My you're getting popular, I'm so proud of you!" A blonde exclaimed, dancing past Haruhi to offer a very confused Kaori a rose. This was...Suoh, right? The act he was putting on, shifting through a few different poses didn't help Kaori at all with her confusion. What was even going on here? This was supposed to be a music room right? What kind of band was this? 

"Takashi, what did Kao-chan and Hika-chan mean by another commoner? Is Haruhi not the only one?" Some kid asked. So...wow, they really weren't lying, Haninozuka really did look like a child. He was hanging onto some tall guy who just answered with a simple yeah. Kaori actually didn't know who that was, but he and Haninozuka seemed close. Once again, it did not help Kaori's situation.

"Well of course he isn't, this is Asuna Kaori, the second honor student this year. A special exception to the one per year rule. If I'm not mistaken, there are actually three honor students, they all tie for the same place, yes?" Another boy spoke, causing Kaori to turn her head just enough to look at him. Tall, dark hair, and glasses...he must have been Ootori. The girls in her class swooned over him for some reason. Actually, they swooned over all of these guys, it was so weird. Kaori didn't understand it all.

"That's right," She finally muttered once she realized that they were waiting for her to reply. "There's me, Haruhi, and Oscar Vanhope in class 1-C. We all tied for the same place and when we interviewed they couldn't pick just one so...here we are." Kaori explained, brows furrowed as she watched the boys standing in front of her. Blank or unamused expressions painted their faces. "Look, I'm just here to give Haruhi her notes back, I'll be leav-"

"Wait you know that Haruhi is a girl?" One of the twins asked, suddenly close to Kaori's face, his brows furrowed like he suspected her of something devious.

"Y-yeah, I do, we're friends it would be weird if I didn't. And like I said-" Once again Kaori was interrupted by one of these boys. The blonde one this time, hugging onto Haruhi in a very animated fashion rambling on about how he was so proud she finally had a real girlfriend to rely on. Kaori couldn't help but watch this odd display of...affection? "I'm sorry, but what the hell is going on here?" She finally asked, causing everyone there to pause.

"Wait you don't know where you are?" Suoh asked, a surprised expression taking over his face.

"An abandoned music room? Are you guys a band or something?" Kaori replied, brows somehow furrowing even further. At that time, the blonde boy smiled, releasing Haruhi who had a similar expression to Kaori.

"Well princess, allow us to introduce ourselves. We," Suoh started, pulling one hand to his chest while extending the other toward her with a rose. "Are the Ouran High School Host Club!"

"A...host club?" That wasn't even on the list of possibilities she had considered. A band, some sort of nerd group, future lawyers...everything was on the list other than a host club. Kaori didn't know if she should laugh, or ask if Haruhi was being held hostage. "You guys can't be serious, right?"

"No, he's completely serious," Haruhi answered flatly, slipping around Suoh and the twins so she was face to face with her friend. "Don't worry, it's not all bad. Why don't you hang around for a while? You aren't busy today right?"

"Well no..." Kaori started, about to brush her off when that blonde kid placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Then come along! I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself! Just tell us what kind of guys you're into. The natural? The strong silent type? The boy-lolita? How about the mischievous type? Or maybe the cool type is more your speed? Or perhaps..." He paused, pulling her hand up to place a gentle kiss on her knuckles. "The princely type?" Kaori looked mildly uncomfortable, looking around at the boys as murmuring outside the door grew louder and louder.

"Is it possible for me to just sit around until Haruhi is free? Or...can I just leave?"

"Nonsense!" Suoh exclaimed. "Of course you can sit and wait for your friend, that's so sweet!"

"All of our guests have to wait for their turns, so please, take a seat at any table you would like to while you wait," The Ootori boy spoke, gesturing to the various tables and chairs set up around the room. "We'll be serving refreshments once our other guests are seated."

"Yeah, you can just relax and eat some cake Kaori-chan!" Haninozuka smiled, hugging tightly onto a pink bunny in his arms. "You look like you really like cake, what's your favorite?" He asked, bouncing along with her as she walked away from the door to find a seat. Absentmindedly, she reached down and scratched her stomach, shrugging a little.

"I guess I do...cheesecake is pretty good. I like simple stuff." Kaori answered, reaching up to rub the back of her neck. You see, Kaori is plus-sized. Five-foot, three inches tall, and two-hundred sixty-three pounds. Haninozuka's comment wasn't meant to offend she knew that given how he acted, but it was...a little hurtful.

"Do you like strawberry cake? It's my favorite!" He exclaimed with a little spin as she took a seat.

"I do. Strawberry shortcake is pretty tasty," Kaori smiled a bit, earning an even bigger grin from Haninozuka.

"I'll make sure to bring you some later, 'kay?" He said happily before bounding off to go and join the other hosts. With a slight sigh, she checked the time. 3:15 pm, apparently when club activities started around here. For the next little bit, Kaori watched as the hosts did their thing. It was like observing animals in the wild...honestly, it was kind of creepy. A weird shift from what little she had seen earlier. It was interesting too though, seeing just how naturally it came to these guys. Each of them, including Haruhi, played their part perfectly. She couldn't help but chuckle a little as she sat there. Kaori had picked a seat at a table near the back of the music room so she wouldn't be in the way. Not to mention, avoiding attention from the other guests as much as possible was something high on her priority list. Rich girls were a lot meaner than public middle school girls...and they were some of the meanest people Kaori knew. The girls here all grew up in a sheltered world of privilege and high society and while Kaori knew it could have it's own very different challenges, these girls knew exactly what they were doing.

"Hey look it's that honor student girl!"

"I wonder who she's here to see?"

"I don't know, but I kind of feel bad for whoever it is, she's not gonna let him have any sweets!" There was a small collection of giggles nearly as Kaori sighed, her fingers drumming on the table in front of her. Kaori wanted to leave, and she had no real idea why she was sticking around other than the fact Haruhi asked her to. She probably wanted a break from all the rich people. Speaking of, Kaori looked up as a teacup was put down in front of her. 

"Here you go Kaori, I only have two appointments right now, so you won't be waiting long," Haruhi spoke with a smile, Kaori nodding in return.

"Thanks. And don't worry about it, I don't mind waiting, just do your thing okay?" Kaori replied with a small smile as she moved her hand and picked up the tea. Raising the cup to her lips as Haruhi walked away, Kaori took a few sips. Her nose wrinkled a bit though, it wasn't a tea she liked exactly, but it wasn't bad. Now that she had a cup in hand, her eyes started to really wander around the room and observe what was going on. Out of everyone, the Ootori boy seemed to be the only one who wasn't acting like a host. He was writing something in a black notebook, a serious look on his face as he too observed what was going on. Maybe he was the manager rather than a host? It would make sense. Kaori had to wonder why he even agreed to join something like this if he wasn't a host. Her attention moved on to the prince, eyebrow twitching as she watched him cause some girl to swoon. This was ridiculous, these girls really enjoyed this? Kaori had a hard time believing this is how these girls actually chose how to spend their time when they could be doing...anything else. Sitting her cup down, some movement nearby caught her attention.

"Are you enjoying your first visit?" A cool voice spoke, adjusting his glasses. While her attention has been elsewhere, Ootori had walked closer to her. Why, Kaori had no idea, since he didn't seem much for small talk. 

"I suppose so...this kind of thing isn't my speed," Kaori replied with a slight shrug. "I would have left if Haruhi hadn't asked me to stay." There was no reason to lie, epically if he was gathering data from the guests. Her answer didn't seem to impress him, but from what she could tell, nothing seemed to impress him. "Are you guys normally this busy?"

"Yes, of course. The host club is here for the entertainment of these young women, it's our duty to keep them happy," He replied with a polite smile. Kaori nodded, looking back around at a few of the girls, finding Haruhi once again. "You're the next appointment, Miss Asuna, you may go and join Haruhi now."

"Oh, thank you," Kaori nodded, standing up. She tugged at her skirt to pull it down a little before making her way over to the couch Haruhi was sitting on. As she moved, she could hear the whispers of some of the other girls, comments ranging from how cute Haninozuka was to why Kaori was sitting down with Haruhi. "You know I only came by to return your notes right?" She asked once she was settled, causing Haruhi to laugh a little.

"Yeah, I know. But I wanted to spend a little time with you anyway, we haven't had the chance lately." With a kind smile and a tilt of her head, the girls watching them interact were all suddenly consumed with the flames of overthinking and jealously. Apparently, Haruhi was a lot more popular than Kaori thought she was. 

"Because of this club...why'd you even join in the first place?" Kaori asked, reaching out to take a macaroon. Haruhi looked defeated, a dry chuckle falling from her lips as she started to, quietly, explain the situation. A broken vase that led to an 8 million yen debt forced Haruhi to work as first an errand boy and then a host. She had only been one for about two weeks, which explained why Haruhi had been so unavailable.

"So here I am. I don't mind really, it's kind of fun having all these girls fuss over me," Haruhi laughed a little, causing Kaori to chuckle a bit as well. "It's not that hard either, though I am the only one buying the instant coffee."

"These guys drink instant coffee?"

"Yeah, I bought it once and now they can't get enough of it," Haruhi laughed a bit. That was an interesting notion that caused Kaori to look around. She had to be joking right? No way these rich people drank instant coffee. Just as she thought that though, she spotted a few of the signature Hescate containers. Well...damn, they did. "It sounds ridiculous but it's true. These rich people are weird."

"Tell me about it," Kaori mumbled, reaching up to tuck some hair behind her ear. She had once brought a boxed lunch to the cafeteria since the classroom was being cleaned, and some of her classmates dared to ask her if poor people bought those because they didn't have time to cook. It made zero sense. They also asked her if she owned towels and if she had to always use public baths because she couldn't afford a bathroom. Rudeness seemed to come with the money.

"Oh, by the way, the host club is throwing a party in a few days, I don't exactly want to go but it might be a little more bearable if I can take a break with someone I actually know," Haruhi finally spoke after the few moments of silence hanging in the air.

"I'm sorry? You going to a party? That's hilarious," Kaori laughed a little, getting a playful nudge from the brunette sitting next to her. As their conversation continued, neither seemed to notice the subtle looks the other hosts were giving them or the jealous glares coming from the other guests. Haruhi was popular even though she had only just started as a host. "Hey, I think I'm gonna head home. I have some homework to do, so I want to go ahead and get a head start on it." As she spoke, Kaori stood, once again pulling at her skirt to straighten it out.

"Sure. I'll see you later. And, don't mind the weirdos around here okay? Come back any time you want to." Kaori smiled at Haruhi, waving a little as she stepped away. Her goal was the door of course, and maybe the convenience store near her apartment building. A cheap dinner sounded good after all, she didn't get to eat anything here. But as Kaori was making her way to the door, a few of the guests had stood to approach Haruhi to ask to sit with her. The girl attempted to slip by them without too much hassle, but as she did, one of them stumbled. Whether by accident or on purpose, you couldn't tell, but the crashing of porcelain caught the attention of everyone in the room. One leg was no covered in scalding tea, moved forward so two of the girls were out of the way. "A-are you two okay?" Kaori asked with a slight grimace and forced smile.

"Yes...thank you." One of them answered, staring a bit blankly as Kaori stooped down to pick up the broken teacup.

"You really should be more careful," She spoke, looking up at a mortified girl. "You could have gotten hurt." This coming from Kaori who's leg was currently on fire. Haruhi and the other hosts had joined the small group, the brunette taking them from Kaori. During that, Suoh had stepped in to comfort the girls, his princely charm making them all but forget about what had happened just seconds earlier. 

"Kaori-chan! Are you okay?" A sweet voice rang out, attention shifting to the small host.

"I'm fine Haninozuka-senpai," Kaori replied, looking down at her now soiled skirt and shoe.

"You can call me Honey! And Kyo-chan where's the first aid kit? Kaori-chan needs a bandaid!"

"Hani-Honey-senpai, I'm fine, really, I can take care of this at home, it's no big deal." Kaori was just trying to leave before this got too overwhelming. But that black-haired guy with glasses had appeared before she even got the chance to step away.

"If you would come this way, Miss Asuna, I'll allow you to use our first aid kit and borrow one of our spare uniforms," He spoke, voice kind...to a degree...but firm. Kaori just sighed, knowing she wasn't getting away from it now.

"Kyoya-senpai, do we even have a uniform that would fit her? She doesn't exactly look like the rest of the guests," One of the twins, the one on the left, spoke as he made a subtle gesture to the other girls. Kaori crossed her arms, shifting uncomfortably.

"It's fine, I can just wear this until I get home. It's not like I don't know how to do laundry," She muttered bitterly as Ootori placed a hand on her back and gestured for her to walk with him. He started guiding her toward a set of doors on the far wall, leaving the other hosts and guests behind. He said nothing to her as they entered what seemed like a dressing room. A small scoff passed over her lips as she saw them. Was he really going to try and get her to buy a uniform or something?

"There are towels on that shelf, feel free to use whatever you need from this first aid kit, provided by the Ootori family," He spoke, placing a white box with a gold and purple emblem on the front. Kaori remained silent, giving him a nod as he stepped out of the room. With a sigh, Kaori opened the first-aid kit and started to look through for what she would need. It then occurred to her that she should probably clean her leg up a little first. Moving over to the shelf with the towels, Kaori grabbed one and started to gently dry her leg off, taking a few moments to try and dry her skirt a little as well. That proved to be a fruitless task, the only outcome a stained towel. With another huff, she moved back over to the table. Once more rifling through the first aid box, she found a minor burn cream. 

"That'll work," She said, sitting down and opening the tube, she started rubbing the cool ointment on her thigh and the upper half of her calf. It felt better with just that small amount of treatment, Kaori knew she had some stuff at home that would work too. So the better she got there, the better. Standing up, she put the tube back in the first aid box and closed it, rubbing her hands together for a few seconds before she made her way back to the door. When she stepped out, she was greeted by Ootori again, writing something down in his notebook, as well as Haruhi and Suoh. 

"Well well, Miss Asuna, it seems you're in a bit of a bind," The blonde boy said with what others probably thought was a charming smile. "You see, that cup you broke was an expensive antique, irreplaceable."

"But I didn't-"

"Princess Yajirushi said you tripped her, and while you may have done it on accident, it is your fault," He insisted, Kaori staring in shock. What...what the hell was he doing. What could he possibly gain by doing this? Haruhi looked just as mortified as Kaori did.

"Tamaki-senpai, you can't be serious, this is-"

"Silent Haruhi! She'll be taking over your old duties as an errand boy to pay us back for that cup."

"Plus the flowers those girls will be receiving, the cost to clean the carpet, and a replacement first-aid kit," Kyoya added, causing Kaori's attention to snap to him. A glare so heavy it would break a normal person was painted on her face, unsure of how to get out of this. These rich people could make her disappear with the snap of their fingers, fighting with them or trying to skip out would spell a disaster for her.

"Starting today," Tamaki's voice grabbed her attention once again, "You belong to us."


End file.
